Tomas Plekanec, Jeff Halpern day to day

The Montreal Canadiens appear to have avoided the worst this time around on the injury front.

A team spokesman told ESPN.com Wednesday that leading scorer Tomas Plekanec was day to day with a lower-body injury, as was fellow center Jeff Halpern. Both players left Tuesday night's 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals in the second period and didn't return.

Both players will be re-evaluated Thursday, the spokesman said.

Losing Plekanec long-term would be a devastating blow for the Canadiens. He leads the team with 53 points (21 goals, 32 assists) in 69 games and also sports a club-best plus-14 rating.

The Canadiens recalled forwards Nigel Dawes and Aaron Palushaj from AHL Hamilton on Wednesday in the event Plekanec and/or Halpern can't play Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.